The university has corrected its land acknowledgment amid claims of historical inaccuracy
Written by Sara Derksen (they/them) // News Editor
Visuals by Ryan Coomber (he/him) contributor
Capilano University is making a correction to its land acknowledgment. On Sept. 22, CapU President and Vice-Chancellor Jason Dewling announced that the university land acknowledgment has been updated to no longer refer to Chief Joe Capilano and to remove reference to the now closed shíshálh (Sechelt) campus.
Until this update, CapU expressed across university communications that it was “named after Chief Joe Capilano (1854 – 1910), an important leader of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) Nation of the Coast Salish Peoples.” Since the announcement, this has been removed from online versions of the land acknowledgment. It is unclear when replacement of physical materials displaying the acknowledgment will be complete.
The university first opened in 1968 as Capilano College. A timeline previously available on the university website shows that the name Capilano was selected from “approximately 45 submissions made by North Shore residents,” without further explanations.
Many of these submissions have been archived. The name Capilano was included in listed suggestions among other terms that are commonly used to name places on the North Shore, such as Northwest or Seymour. None make mention of Chief Joe Capilano.
The announcement released by the Presidents’ office states that this change comes after the historical accuracy of the previous land acknowledgment was challenged for several months prior to the update. However, this issue had been brought to the university’s attention long before this year.
Interim Director of Indigenous Education and Affairs (IEA) Stephanie Merinuk clarified in an interview with the Courier that
“this has been a concern that’s been raised for many, many years by our Nations, by our Elders, by our students, by our faculty, by our staff.”
Merinuk herself flagged the issue two years ago. At the time, her concerns grew after receiving feedback from Elders from the Elders-in-Residence program, students, and the university’s Indigenous Education Steering Committee. She raised the issue with then-Director of IEA Miranda Huron. Huron had let her know that the university reached out to Chief Joe Capilano’s family seeking permission to use his name.
It is unclear when CapU contacted the family, but Merinuk shared that “from what [Merinuk understands] we never got permission.” This did not prompt the university to reassess their land acknowledgment at that point.
The review that was triggered this year involved the IEA department consulting with Elders. It was found that the statement referring to Chief Joe Capilano should not be included in the acknowledgment.
The update also omits mention of shíshálh (Sechelt) Nation. Previously, shíshálh Nation was acknowledged alongside səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and xʷməθkʷəỷəm (Musqueam) Nations. Now, the new land acknowledgment specifically acknowledges the nations on whose unceded territories the university maintains campuses.
In a Dec. 12, 2025 news release, CapU announced that its ḵálax̱-ay | Sunshine Coast campus in Sechelt would be closing its doors when the semester ended on April 24, 2026. The Coast Reporter confirmed in its reporting that the campus ceased all operations on May 12, 2026. The campus closure was part of CapU’s ongoing deficit mitigation efforts as the university faces a challenging fiscal situation.
The Capilano Students’ Union (CSU) was made aware that the university was reviewing the land acknowledgment but were not invited to participate. CSU President Benisse Zinga explained in an email to the Courier that while she doesn’t have the lived experience to say what this update means for Indigenous students at CapU, she had some comments to share from the CSU Indigenous Students Liaison Elias Myran. “He personally doesn’t believe these changes will significantly affect the day-to-day experience of the Indigenous student body.” She wrote that Myran also expressed concerns that “this may discourage future shíshálh students from enrolling.”
In the meantime, Merinuk conveyed that this update was a step to start on a new pathway of better relationships with the university. She wanted students to know that she feels there is
“a nice refreshing change in the leadership that’s come into the institution. More support, more desire to do better when it comes to Indigenous relations.”
President Dewling echoed this sentiment in his announcement, affirming that this change to the land acknowledgment is part of the university’s ongoing efforts to “strengthen relationships, learn from our history and ensure our actions reflect the commitments we make as a university.”